Trigger Warning: This article includes references to domestic violence and abuse.
Rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar have reignited their long-standing rivalry with a bitter exchange of diss tracks. The latest diss track called The Heart Part 6 was released by Drake on May 6, Sunday. However, Lamar did the honors of relaunching a rap battle with the release of the diss track titled, Like That, also featuring Future and Metro Boomin. It was seemingly a response to Drake and J. Cole’s track, First Person Shooter from the Canadian rapper’s 2023 album, For All The Dogs.
However, the entire R&B chatter reportedly kicked off back in 2013 when K-Dot dissed a roster of rappers – Drake, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Tyler, and others, in his verse on Big Sean’s track, Control.
Now, with each passing week, the feud between the HUMBLE singer and Drake intensifies, with ally rappers joining in and bowing out occasionally. J. Cole also dropped a fiery response to Lamar in the track 7 Minute Drill, along with his new album, Might Delete Later, on April 5, Friday. But he bowed out of the battle mid-way, letting Drake face off with Lamar one-on-one.
This is the chronology of diss tracks released by Drake and Kendrick Lamar in 2024:
March 22, 2024: Like That by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar
The very first track in the 2024 leg of Drake vs. Lamar, the latter sparked beef by throwing shade on J. Cole’s “Big Three” comparison in 2023’s First Person Shooter by Drake. In Like That, Lamar called out the rappers for “sneak dissin’, “first person shooter” and shrugged off the idea that he was in any sort of race to the top with Cole and Drake. The track that features on Future and Metro Boomin’s first collaboration, We Don’t Trust You, had the lines, “Motherf****** the big three, n***a, it’s just big me.” The Compton-native rapper further referred to himself as Prince who “outlived Mike Jack,” dissing Drake as Michael Jackson.
Like That is available to stream on YouTube.
April 13, 2024: Push Ups by Drake
The 37-year-old singer allowed himself some days to get back to Lamar’s refurbished dissing. But he was back with more. On April 13, Saturday, Drake dropped Push Ups where he called out Lamar for getting “wiped out” by several artists, the likes of SZA, Travis Scott, and Savage. “You ain’t in no Big Three,” the Canadian rapper began.
Drake rapped being at the “top of the mountain” and having to hike down to Lamar’s level to talk with him, through the diss tracks. “Big difference between Mike then and Mike now,” the song’s lyric added, hinting at Lamar’s Like That reference to MJ.
Originally Aubrey Drake Graham, the rapper also took a dig at Lamar’s collaborations with pop artists like Taylor Swift and Maroon 5. A subsequent belittlement of rapper Rick Ross inspired another diss track, the latter alleging Drake of getting plastic surgery.
Push Ups by Drake is available to stream on Spotify.
April 19, 2024: Taylor Made Freestyle by Drake
In another effort to jeer at Lamar’s pop culture collabs, Drake released the problematic track, Taylor Made Freestyle within a week of Push Ups, on April 19, Friday. However, the track has been now deleted since Drizzy used AI-generated voices of late rap icon, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.
The rapper was forced to take down the diss track because Tupac Shakur’s estate threatened to sue Drake. Probably impatient for Lamar’s next track, he once again dumped on Lamar’s professional endeavors with pop icon Taylor Swift. “Now we gotta wait a f****** week cause Taylor Swift is your new top, and if you boutta drop, she gotta approve,” the lyrics stated. It hinted at Swift’s latest album drop, The Tortured Poets Department on April 19.
Snoop Dogg posted a hilarious reaction to Drake vs. Lamar on Instagram, that left fans speculating if the veteran rapper had an idea about the situation.
Taylor Made Freestyle was taken down from Drake’s social media but a lyric version is available on YouTube.
April 30, 2024: Euphoria by Kendrick Lamar
As the name suggests, Lamar followed up Champagne Papi’s April 19 diss track with Euphoria, a nod to the hit HBO drama series. Drake served as one of the executive producers of the show. Therefore, the father of two spits flames on Drake by calling out his parenting with the line, “I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin’ ’bout that.” Drake is a father to a 6-year-old son, Adonis, whom Lamar name-checks in a later diss track.
The King Kunta singer criticized Drake’s rapping flair by calling him a “scam artist” who wants to be accepted by the hip-hop sphere, in addition to mocking his alleged plastic surgery in the line, “Didn’t tell ’em where you get your abs from.” Finally, K-Dot called out Drake’s AI usage in his previous diss track.
Euphoria by Kendrick Lamar can be streamed on YouTube and other digital streaming services.
May 3, 2024: 6:16 in LA by Kendrick Lamar
Within days of releasing Euphoria, Lamar dropped another diss track mocking Drizzy’s song-naming style by using time stamps like 8 am in Charlotte.
Lamar released 6:16 in LA on May 3, Friday, which was produced by Taylor Swift’s head producer, Jack Antonoff. Seemingly a sneak diss to Drake’s digs at the pop star. Later, K-Dot rapped about tipping off officials within Drake’s label OVO, who gave him information about the rapper. Lamar also called the rapper a bully and a “terrible person” who is despised by his own team.
6:16 in LA dropped on Kendrick Lamar’s official Instagram handle.
May 3, 2024: Family Matters by Drake
The same day, Drake dropped his follow-up track to Taylor Made Freestyle, an 8-minute track called Family Mattes that brought dirty digs about Lamar’s personal life. The track dragged Lamar’s family into the rappers’ bickering and accused his wife, Whitney Alford of committing infidelity with the rapper’s manager Dave Free. Simultaneously, he alleged Lamar of spousal abuse and also called out the couple’s height difference, with the lines, “When you put your hands on your girl, is it self-defense ’cause she’s bigger than you?”
Family Matters is available on YouTube.
May 4, 2024: Meet The Grahams by Kendrick Lamar
Without much waiting, Kenny went down the same lane and pulled in Drake’s entire family, named, Meet The Grahams. He broke the song into four parts, with the beats notching up on its aggression with each passing part. Firstly, he addressed Drake’s son, Adonis, feeling sorry for his father’s parenting. Lamar also accused Drake of fathering a second child. The rapper once again mocked Drake’s alleged plastic surgery.
Meet The Grahams can be streamed on YouTube and other digital platforms.
May 4, 2024: Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar
Another brutal diss track by Lamar dropped within 24 hours of Meet The Grahams. In Not Like Us, the rapper got even more personal and accused Drake and others in his team of being sex offenders. “Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young / You better not ever go to cell block one,” the lyrics stated. He also called Drizzly a “Certified Lover Boy, certified pedophiles.”
“You think the Bay gon’ let you disrespect Pac, n****?” the lyric seemingly warned Drake of AI-generating Tupac’s voice, who is also regarded as a West Coast Bay rapper, like many other notable American rappers.
Listen to Not Like Us on YouTube.
May 5, 2024: The Heart Part 6 by Drake
Drake took over the reins of the week overwhelmed with diss tracks by both artists, and released the latest track until now. The Heart Part 6 dropped on May 5, Sunday, and circles back to Drake’s dissing of Lamar’s wife, Alford, and an alleged affair with manager Drake Free.
Drake mocked Lamar’s The Heart series in his 2022 album, Mr. Morales & The Big Steppers. The rapper advised Lamar to fact check information in the lyrics, because apparently, Drake had faked the secret daughter rumors to mislead Lamar.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
ALSO READ: Drake Vs Kendrick Lamar: How Did Rapper J Cole Enter 2024’s Most Heated Rap Beef; Find Out
